This paper presents a review of current evidence and ideas relating to the digital gig economy (DGE): contingent (task- or project-based) intangible work delivered digitally and done for money, organised via online outsourcing platforms that are marketplaces bringing together buyers and sellers....

Online outsourcing involves outsourcing of tasks from clients to workers all over the world via digital platforms like Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr. Millions of workers in developing countries are already involved, and governments and donor agencies are starting online outsourcing initiatives...

The impact of platforms in the global South is under-researched. This paper analyses the role of platforms in relation to “institutional voids”: absences or shortcomings of formal institutions that can create shortfalls in the operation of markets. Through a mix of primary and secondary...

Informational challenges – absence, uncertainty, asymmetry – shape the working of markets and commerce in many developing countries. For developing country micro-enterprises, which form the bulk of all enterprises worldwide, this shapes the characteristics of their supply chains. It reduces...

Marginalised urban communities need to build their resilience to environmental and social shocks and stressors. A first step in this process will be measuring the existing resilience strengths and weaknesses of such communities. Past approaches to this can appear constrained in their...

The positive deviance approach in international development scales practices and strategies of positively-deviant individuals and groups: those who are able to achieve significantly better development outcomes than their peers despite having similar resources and challenges. This approach relies...

The positive deviance approach in international development scales practices and strategies of positively-deviant individuals and groups: those who are able to achieve significantly better development outcomes than their peers despite having similar resources and challenges. This approach relies...